Matthew Spence

Matthew Spence (born 7 April 1976) is a former rugby league player and coach. His position of preference was in the Second Row, although he also played as prop occasionally. Born in New Zealand, Matthew grew up playing for the Turangi Dambusters in the Bay of Plenty competition. Spence also played for the Junior Kiwis. Spence then moved to Australia, joining the Parramatta Eels and making his first grade debut in 1995. He impressed many in his rookie season and was awarded the Eric Grothe Rookie of the Year award at Parramatta. However he needed a knee reconstruction in 1997 and this injury plagued his next two seasons at the Eels. He signed for the Western Suburbs Magpies in 1999 and looked to rebuild his career. However before the...